UND Todayhttp://blogs.und.edu/und-today
University of North Dakota's Official News SourceTue, 22 May 2018 17:13:17 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.11Telepsychiatry — making the connectionhttp://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2018/05/telepsychiatry-making-the-connection/
Tue, 22 May 2018 15:45:49 +0000http://blogs.und.edu/und-today/?p=6783At UND SMHS, new technology helps psychiatry residents expand services to western North Dakota

Andrew McLean, clinical professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral science at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, practices telepsychiatry to help reach patients in underserved areas of North Dakota. Photo courtesy of SMHS.

Robert Olson is connected to western North Dakota.

“We are determined to reach rural areas,” said Olson, a Williston native and geriatric psychiatrist who directs the residency training program in psychiatry at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). “The ability to access psychiatrists is in short supply in many areas, quadruply so in rural areas.”

That’s one of the reasons the Williston native and fellow North Dakotan Andrew McLean are using technology to expand psychiatric services in the western part of the state.

Psychiatrists are desperately needed to help combat addiction and psychiatric problems, especially in the oil patch and western North Dakota, they said.

After the North Dakota legislature recently expanded the number of residency slots at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences through the Healthcare Workforce Initiative, the psychiatry residency program, which Olson directs, rose from four to six residents per year. At the same time, the SMHS began training those residents—who are stationed primarily in Fargo—to use telemedicine to reach rural areas and better serve the state.

Robert Olson, a geriatric psychiatrist who directs the UND SMHS residency training program in psychiatry, and Andrew McLean help psychiatry residents become comfortable practicing telemedicine. Photo courtesy of SMHS.

Wave of the future

“This is about serving the state,” said McLean, who serves as clinical professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the SMHS and is a psychiatrist who practices telemedicine. “Telepsychiatry training allows us to educate residents in this type of practice and to serve patients who have limited access to psychiatric services.”

“Telepsychiatry is clearly the wave of the future,” said Olson.

Many towns in rural North Dakota have no psychiatric services on site, Olson added. “We are training residents to be comfortable with technology and to reach out to rural areas easily.”

That’s important, said both physicians, because all of North Dakota benefits from better access to mental health treatment.

Telepsychiatry also exposes psychiatry residents to other parts of the state and may increase their interest in practicing there after finishing residency, McLean said.

By combining rural outreach with telemedicine, the psychiatry residents also visit the communities and work with patients and medical providers once a month in person, then continue caring for patients using telemedicine every week. Patients travel less, and providers can still provide care, even in bad weather.

Over the past two years, third- and fourth-year psychiatry residents have served Dickinson, Williston, Minot, Devils Lake, Jamestown and Bismarck, mostly at human service centers as well as with telemedicine, where their patients often have serious mental illness and addiction.

“Our patients often are people who struggle with access to care, and may have lower income or less insurance,” said McLean. “We are focused on helping them.”

Almost like being there

“Telemedicine is as effective as face-to-face,” said Olson. “It’s almost like you’re there, especially in psychiatry. You can make eye contact and see movement and facial expressions. Studies have shown its effectiveness.”

“For most scenarios, telemedicine is almost as good as being there,” said McLean. “With high definition video, we’re able to zoom in and out, see tremors and check side effects. Most patients enjoy telemedicine.”

And, McLean said, at one of the human service centers they have been able to prescribe medicine that’s underused but effective, and needs to be monitored closely

“We were able to start the meds in person and provide follow-up with telemedicine,” McLean said. He added that the technology can help psychiatrists use time more effectively while improving the lives of patients.

Olson said they receive good feedback from clinics and human service centers, along with patients and residents.

“The residents love it,” said Olson. “We had some apprehension that residents would not want to travel to the human service centers, but they have very much enjoyed it. One has taken his kids with and stays in a hotel. They start out with no idea of what Minot and Dickinson are like and come back with great stories about the towns.”

]]>Head of the classhttp://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2018/05/head-of-the-class/
Tue, 22 May 2018 15:20:42 +0000http://blogs.und.edu/und-today/?p=6777North Dakota Athletics tops Big Sky in NCAA Public Recognition for fourth year in a row

For the fourth year in a row, North Dakota Athletics programs topped the Big Sky Conference in the NCAA’s annual Public Recognition Awards for work in and out of the classroom. This year, North Dakota programs that garnered public recognition included men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, and men’s track & field. UND has now earned similar recognition 21 times across nine different sports since 2010. Image courtesy of North Dakota Athletics

UND Fighting Hawks student-athletes continue to lead their Big Sky Conference peers in the classroom as much as they do on the field.

The University of North Dakota had a Big Sky Conference-leading four teams receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR) on Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive year in which UND has led the conference.

North Dakota’s four teams that received public recognition for the 2016-17 academic year included men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf, and men’s track & field. UND has now earned similar recognition 21 times across nine different sports since 2010.

The Public Recognition Awards are given each year to teams with APRs that rank among the top 10-percent nationally in their respective sport. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.

“While the APR is a measurement that is not as commonly used as grade-point average or graduation rate, it is a measurement of retention and academic eligibility. It’s a measurement that is a testament to our student-athletes and their dedication to achieving academic success and earning a degree, and to our coaches for ensuring that remains a priority. They all deserve this recognition,” said Amanda Hajdu, UND’s Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Services.

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason, and they also can face penalties for continued low academic performance.

The public recognition is part of the NCAA’s overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sport.

The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 984 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport.

With Joshua trees and the Kokoweef Peak in the background, Phil Gerla, UND associate professor of geology & geological engineering, explains geological structures and other aspects of the Mojave Desert to students Carlos Alba and Marie Bergelim. Gerla, who enjoys giving students experiences in the field, led a visit to the desert over Spring Break in March. Photo by Sidike Abudureyimu

A group of UND geology & geological engineering students went retro for Spring Break this year — as in pre Ice Age.

As part of a school sponsored expedition to the Mojave Desert led by Phil Gerla, the students discovered rare dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic times. It was a highlight of a trip that made textbooks come alive.

“I felt like I was in a time machine,” said Sidike Abudureyimu, a graduate student in geological engineering from Turpan, western China, who discovered the tracks in a slab of sandstone. “I traveled back millions of years ago, and it felt awesome.”

“I put my thumbs in the dinosaur footprints,” said Emma Tschann, a senior in environmental geoscience from Zumbrota, Minn. “Once we found the first set of prints, more were easier to find. It was great. I loved it. I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was little. Seeing footprints that aren’t in a museum and imagining the conditions back then was pretty cool.”

The tracks were from Coelurosaurs, an unusual species of dinosaur from the Jurassic Era, said Phil Gerla, associate professor of geology and geological engineering, who led the trip. He added that they were between two and three feet tall and about the size of a small ostrich.

UND geology & geological engineering students take time for a group photo atop the summit of the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert. The students are (left to right) Sidike Abudureyimu, Coby Kison, Carlos Alba, Marie Bergelin, Danielle Zinsmaster, Emma Tschann, Phil Gerla, and Grace Devault. Image courtesy of Emma Tschann

Field experience

Gerla likes giving students experience in the field.

“Seeing the geological relationships in their natural environment helps us comprehend the history of the Earth,” Gerla said. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. Each little piece is part of the full picture. That’s exciting for me.”

Phil Gerla

Gerla gave students maps and missions for each geologic feature they explored. All seven students, mostly geology and geological engineering majors, researched and shared information on an area they visited.

“It was like walking into the pages of a textbook,” said Tschann. “I was familiar with how to calculate strike and dip of formations by reading about it in textbooks, but had no idea of how those formations look in real life. It was worth all the hard work.”

“I researched the Hoover Dam and how it was built from an engineering perspective,” said Abudureyimu. “My work combined geology and engineering, and I learned a lot.”

“We talked about how sand dunes form,” said Abudureyimu. “With a 500-foot elevation gain, they’re not easy to climb. You take one step forward and slide half a step back.”

“And when you jump off the top of a sand dune, you hear a booming sound,” said Tschann. “That’s the sound of sand compacting quickly. They’re so soft you can’t get hurt.”

UND studentsCoby Kison (left) and Carlos Alba navigate kayaks through one of the many water-filled caves in the Mojave Desert. Image courtesy of Emma Tschann

Connecting the dots

“The trip connected the dots between the textbook and the field,” said Abudureyimu. “Dr. Gerla did a great job explaining the geological structures.”

Abudureyimu especially enjoyed visiting Ringbolt Hot Springs.

“You follow the stream to the hot springs and see different formations,” he said. “We hiked three miles, had to wade through water and climb a steep ladder that was slippery with algae to get there. It’s nestled in a canyon.”

It was worth it.

“It was so hot,” said Abudureyimu, who did research on geothermal energy. “We jumped quickly through the hottest pool, which was about 111 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Tschann loved kayaking on Lake Havasu.

“We were able to see against the cliffs where rock masses had fractured, slipped, and formed little caves just large enough to paddle through,” she said, noting that Parker Dam creates Lake Havasu, which provides water for Phoenix, Tucson, and most of southern California.

“The six pipes look like giant straws, each 10 feet in diameter,” she said. “Six million people depend on that water. We often don’t think about how much water a city needs.”

“This was the experience of a lifetime,” said Abudureyimu. “I’m so grateful to Dr. Gerla for providing it.”

A team of three UND-affiliated volunteers felt natural sunlight for the first time in 14 days as they emerged from scientific seclusion on “Mars” back to good ol’ planet Earth.

The crew part, part of the University of North Dakota’sInflatable Lunar Mars Habitat (ILMH) exited their temporary home for two weeks following a fifth NASA-funded mission that mimics a long-duration stay on the planet Mars. Crew members comprised mission commander Prabhu Victor, a UND alum and current Space Studies graduate student; Nelio Nascimento, an undergraduate in biomedical engineering at UND and an international student from Brazil; and Dr. Michael Castro, a physician from Florida who volunteered to be the mission’s medical officer.

The ILMH project attracts students from around the world to join in the prestigious scientific effort. Students are largely responsible for constructing, assembling and maintaining the ILMH.

Pablo de Leon

“This mission focused on unknown medical aspects of long-duration spaceflight,” said de Leon, a well-known designer of innovative suits built specifically for planetary exploration. “This was the first of our five missions so far to include a physician. Among other things, Dr. Castro researched the dynamics of the suit we’ve designed specifically for extra-vehicular activities. We’re part of a major NASA push to create the reservoir of medical knowledge essential for safe long-duration spaceflight.”

Other aspects of the most recent mission included growing and harvesting food such as lettuces.

This mission concluded May 14. The ILMH complex was set up on several acres of grass land across I-29 from the University.

The heavy-duty fabricating and welding of all aluminum infrastructure was done locally by Grand Forks Welding, which delivered the final plastic-sheeting wrapped unit to the ILMH last June.

The core of this five-unit project is the living module, where crew will spent a good portion of their time. The EVA and maintenance module is the workshop where the crew will performed both routine and emergency repairs and maintenance on suits, modules, rovers and other equipment.

The plant-production module was designed to feed the crew—of course, this means plant-based diets. No room for meat animals. This module housed trays of plants under LED lights specially designed by NASA.

The exercise and human performance module had special exercise machines with systems that fed information to NASA; the agency conducted real-time monitoring of the health status of persons in the module.

And finally, the geology module was reserved for experiments and developing techniques for cutting Martian rocks that may contain contaminants, such as toxic perchlorates, which should not be inhaled. The particulates could be released as the rocks are gathered and cut, so the crew processed samples in a glove box.

All the modules are connected with aluminum-framed tunnels, already built and ready to be hooked up at the site.

UND is one of a few facilities funded by NASA to test long-duration Mars conditions, said de León.

“We have the talent pool, the facilities, the environment and climate that provide an optimum place to test the extreme technologies needed for such a hostile place as Mars,” de León noted.

— Story and images by Juan Miguel Pedraza, UND Division of Research & Economic Development

]]>Nachos for a causehttp://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2018/05/nachos-for-a-cause/
Tue, 22 May 2018 13:24:42 +0000http://blogs.und.edu/und-today/?p=6715UND sorority sisters raise money to put friendly faces in the court system to assist children

Vice President for Research & Economic Development Grant McGimpsey announced this week that he will be leaving his post later this year in preparation for retirement. Photo by Jackie Lorentz/UND Today.

UND Vice President for Research & Economic Development Grant McGimpsey has spent the past 30 years in academia, and he thinks the time might be right for a change.

He’s eyeing something different, as in reconnecting with family in Canada, pursuing his passion for writing, continuing his newfound interest in blues guitar and perhaps playing some golf.

He informed division staff and his colleagues in the Grand Forks community this week that he plans to retire from full time work at the end of December, eventually moving back to his native Ontario, Canada, with wife, Margot, a project manager in the Provost’s office.

McGimpsey, a career chemist, has led UND’s research division since Sept. 8, 2015, taking over for interim vice president Barry Milavetz, and the last permanent VP, Phyllis Johnson. He also has led the UND School of Graduate Studies.

McGimpsey said their two grown boys – one a recent college grad, the other working toward a degree – are back in Toronto and looking toward the future. The McGimpseys want to be closer to them as they launch their fledgling careers.

“We certainly feel that tug to get back and provide a home base for them,” McGimpsey said.

McGimpsey instituted myriad changes at UND that have put the University’s research, scholarship, creative activity and economic development enterprise in an even stronger position than when he arrived. Photo by Jackie Lorentz/UND Today.

Impactful changes

Before UND, McGimpsey held a similar position as head of research at Kent State University in Ohio, overseeing an enterprise credited with inventing liquid-crystal display technology. He spent 22 years at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute, a highly ranked private science and engineering college, as a faculty member and administrator. While in Worcester, he also worked in economic development and started two technology-based companies and believes his connection to the business world may find an outlet in future entrepreneurial activity.

When McGimpsey reflects, he sees a myriad changes – some big and others more behind the scenes – that have put UND’s research, scholarship, creative activity and economic development enterprise in a stronger position than when he arrived.

This fall, thanks to McGimpsey’s insistence, UND will launch “Novelution,” a data system that gives faculty, administrators and research staff the ability to submit proposals, receive and manage grants, extract data regarding grants and proposals and build budgets. UND worked with North Dakota State in Fargo to contract with Novelution. “It essentially makes the faculty’s job of writing proposals easier and more streamlined,” McGimpsey said. “When I was at Kent State, I oversaw the implementation of a system like this and it resulted in a 30 percent increase in proposals submitted.”

McGimpsey also drove UND’s improved documenting and reporting of research expenditures. One result: In FY16, UND reported research expenditures – external and internal funding spent on research, scholarship and creative activities – totaling roughly $70 million. For FY17, that number was more than $100 million.

McGimpsey says the spike doesn’t mean UND spent significantly more money on research, rather the University simply was more comprehensive about how it categorizes and records its robust efforts.

“That wasn’t done to make us look better, although, we do look better compared to other research universities,” McGimpsey said. “It was done so that we could understand all of the investments that we were making in research and better focus these to attain higher levels of external funding.”

This drive for higher funding is reflected by McGimpsey’s work in reorganizing UND’s areas of research emphasis, through the One UND Strategic plan, which resulted in UND’s Grand Challenges. They’re a broad set of five research areas – (1) promoting energy development and sustainability, (2) addressing biomedical needs, (3) helping rural communities, (4) driving developments in autonomous vehicles, and (5) storing and analyzing information in the era of big-data – aimed at diversifying the state’s economy and addressing societal challenges.

“The One UND Strategic Plan has put these Grand Challenges at the focus of our research efforts” he said. “I truly believe that focusing on these Grand challenges is how we are going to broaden our research and succeed as a University.” As evidence of UND’s commitment to the Grand Challenges, McGimpsey has provided nearly $4M in internal research funding to promote greater activity in these areas.

McGimpsey (above at a recent UAS conference in Grand Forks) has led an effort at UND to address a number of “Grand Challenges” in the State through research, including how to better store and analyze data collected from UAS and other platforms with the help of High Performance Computing. Photo by Jackie Lorentz.

Future role?

At the School of Graduate Studies, McGimpsey is most proud of a shift toward a focus on the opportunities – academic, professional, social, cultural – that graduate students can take advantage of.

“Our goal is to have our graduate students say ‘wow, this was a great opportunity for me, I’ve accomplished a lot and I have been really well prepared for my professional career by coming to UND,’” he said. “We want our graduates – Masters and Ph.D. to view UND in a very positive way and that obviously means providing students with both educational and social experiences.”

UND Provost Tom DiLorenzo

McGimpsey also developed the “Gradvocates” initiative, which assigns one faculty member in each college, who is strongly invested in graduate education and wants to provide the best experiences possible.

He also helped institute workshops and programs, such as GRAD (Graduate Research Achievement Day) and 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) that encourage graduate students to think beyond their research and to develop communication and networking strategies. This year, UND’s 3MT winner, Ian Foerster, went on to also win the west regional in Las Vegas in the judged competition that rewards graduate students for explaining their research quickly and in a way that the general public can easily understand.

“Having the opportunity to lead the research division and the Graduate School at UND has been an incredibly rewarding one, and working with my phenomenal staff, I think we’ve accomplished a lot together,” McGimpsey said.

On the subject of his staff, he said “I have encouraged all my staff to take advantage of professional development opportunities in order to grow in their careers, take leadership roles as we continue to develop our research enterprise, and create a cross-trained management unit. On his own time at UND, McGimpsey says “this has also been a great learning experience for me; the academy is a place of infinite variety where you never stop learning, never stop moving forward. What other career offers that kind of opportunity?”

As attention shifts to the next stage in his life, McGimpsey has discussed with UND President Mark Kennedy and Provost Tom DiLorenzo ways he might continue to help the University remotely after he leaves UND.

“I have some great colleagues here, both at the University and in the community, and it’s been great working with faculty as well as the business community – economic development is the other part of my job,” McGimpsey said. “I would very much like to continue to be part of the University community in the future.”

DiLorenzo said whatever the future holds, McGimpsey’s presence on campus will be sorely missed. The provost added that he will put a process in place over the next few weeks that will address the transition process.

DiLorenzo also wished the McGimpseys well in the next chapters of their lives.

“Grant has done a terrific job as both the vice president for research and economic development and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies,” DiLorenzo said. “His work with the Grand Challenges has put UND on the path to making state, regional and worldwide impacts. We will also miss Margot as she has become an integral member of our online team at UND. Her efforts have allowed UND to move into this global opportunity very quickly.”

UND Marketing & Creative Services Web specialist Matt Schill conducts training recently on the new UND website for University employees. The new website is set to launch May 21. Photo by Tyler Ingham/UND Today.

In a week, “UND.edu,” the online front door of the University, will be sporting a brand new look and improved functionality.

Tera Buckley, assistant director of UND Marketing & Creative Services, knows that the changes will be for the best.

“It’s going to be very different, but different in a good way,” she said.

On May 21, Buckley and her team will flip the switch on the first wave of updates to the University’s website. She says the biggest changes are its visual features and the way the site will be navigated.

“One of our goals was to have a visually stunning site and I think we’ve done that,” she said. “The site is now more prospective student-focused.”

Every major, minor, certificate or anything else UND offers will be in a new storefront. To find results, students looking for the next step in their education won’t need to know the specific college, department or name of a program. The new program-finder was built to address the most pertinent questions students might have about a program. It even allows students to directly compare program requirements.

“We know the number one decision-making process for prospective students is if we have their program of interest,” Buckley said. “We want to immediately answer if we have the program they want and what it will allow them to do upon graduation. You can browse on-campus or online, you don’t have to go to a separate extended learning site – it’s all in one place.

“The high-impact pages we know prospective students are using, like admissions, applications and financial aid are all included in this first wave.”

Necessary upgrade

This rollout comes after over a year of planning, designing, and coding. The last time UND.edu received a significant redesign was 2010, and Buckley says it’s far past due for upgrades. The new site has a modernized look and, most importantly, a mobile-friendly interface.

“We’ll see a lot of improvement with organic search, with Google and Bing,” she explained. “We’re being punished in their algorithms because we haven’t been mobile-friendly. It will take a few weeks after the launch, but we’ll see our organic traffic go up significantly.”

“We’ve changed the site navigation to better serve prospective students, but that isn’t to say we aren’t serving faculty and staff,” Buckley said. “They and current students are going to be served in a different way.”

Some of the biggest changes frequent site visitors will notice are the absence of the A-Z Index and the My UND page. On May 21, the index will be integrated into the site’s new universal search bar. With My UND, those functions will be integrated into the main header of the site, including a dedicated drop-bar for the most used campus logins. It’s different nomenclature, but still the same amount of clicks from the homepage.

Showing their stuff

Buckley’s point of excitement in this process is the ability to showcase the University in a new way. The updated designs bring photography and campus imagery to the forefront.

“We have a lot of great program offerings; we have a beautiful campus,” she said. “Finally, our new front door to campus will be as welcoming as the campus itself.”

They’re also trying to say more by saying… less. The current site has around 30,000 pages, a number Buckley says is unacceptable. The standard metric for an institution like UND is one page per student, so her team has spent considerable time cleaning up and deleting outdated, redundant content.

“For example, the extended learning site went from over 3,000 pages to under 500,” Buckley said. “When you have redundant content, your own pages compete against each other in a search. If you have 10 ‘About UND’ pages, it’s likely one of them is accurate and up to date. The rest are probably old and not reflective of what we want to be saying about the University.”

And is the team doing this page by page?

“Absolutely,” she said with a laugh. “We’re prioritizing higher-traffic pages, but everything is getting touched.”

Refined strategy

With respect to the UND Strategic Plan — the administration’s five-year vision for the University — redeveloping UND.edu serves Goal 3: delivering more educational opportunities online and on-campus.

“When people look at the high-level landing pages, they’ll see that we’ve weaved in strategic initiatives into the content,” Buckley said.

She offered examples such as images that showcase UND as a military-friendly school. The Honors program is showcased. Online education options are at the top of the academics page before breaking down into individual schools and colleges.

“We’ve taken a hard look at the strategic plan, pulled areas that are prospective student-related, and featured them prominently on high-traffic pages,” she said.

As for the launch, Buckley would be the first to tell you May 21 will be a rough day. She expects many things to break and asks for forgiveness on the first day. On subsequent days, she is urging everyone to report run-ins with bugs, inaccuracies and other issues.

“Feedback is extremely valuable,” she said. “We don’t want people to complain amongst themselves. We need our site visitors to fill out a short form and tell us what’s going on.”

On the new UND.edu pages, a link called “Website Feedback” will take users where they need to go to voice concerns. This includes aspects such as program information in the new program-finder function.

The next wave of updates will occur this fall, and the following updates will be implemented during instructional breaks going into 2019.

]]>Lieutenant, at lasthttp://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2018/05/lieutenant-at-last/
Tue, 15 May 2018 17:39:25 +0000http://blogs.und.edu/und-today/?p=6726UND ROTC cadet commander makes the grade after inauspicious beginning to military career

Last Saturday was a special day of achievements for 2nd Lt. Jake Wessling (above), who was commissioned as an Army officer in the morning and graduated with his mechanical engineering degree in the afternoon. However, over the span of five years as a student-soldier in UND’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, there were days that either milestone could have been considered a long shot. Photo by Shawna Schill/UND Today.

Jake Wessling answered his first subordinate salute as an Army officer on Saturday.

Later the same day, he shook hands with UND President Kennedy after receiving his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

It was a day of achievements for the freshly minted second lieutenant. However, over the span of five years as a student-soldier in UND’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, there were days that either milestone could have been considered a longshot.

In fact, Wessling’s quest to become a military officer was nearly over before it started after he suffered a severe case of rhabdomyolysis, or heat exhaustion, his freshman year. The military takes heat-stress injuries among its officer candidates seriously, to the point that a soldier may be ineligible to commission.

A challenging academic discipline in mechanical engineering also took its toll on Wessling, so much he considered quitting the major his sophomore year.

But Wessling, a native of Maple Grove, Minn., who played varsity football on the defensive line and raced motocross bikes as a kid, persevered in both cases. He moved up the ROTC ranks to become UND’s battalion cadet commander this past semester, and graduated with a 3.0 grade point average in mechanical engineering.

Karnie and David Wessling pin second lieutenant rank to the dress uniform of their son, 2nd Lt. Jake Wessling, during a commissioning ceremony Saturday morning at the UND ROTC Armory. Jake was among 16 Army cadets commissioned the same day. Photo by Shawna Schill.

Long time coming

On Saturday, Wessling joined 15 other UND Army cadets at a commissioning ceremony on the drill floor of the UND Armory. There, his mother and father, Karnie and David, pinned second lieutenant bars on his dress uniform lapels.

“It’s been a longtime in coming,” Wessling said. “I’ve been fortunate to have great opportunities for leadership here among my peers, going back to my freshman year.”

The young cadet’s freshman year started out with all the promise you might expect from a motivated individual who dreamed of being a leader of soldiers.

Then, in April 2014, while competing in an ROTC “Ranger Buddy” skills competition at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the path suddenly got a lot harder.

“We were excited and we wanted to compete,” Wessling said about himself and his teammates during the last event of the day, a nearly 11-mile rucksack march. “We felt great and we were running by people and were doing really well.

“It was the about the last mile from the finish line that I started to shut down – but I kept pushing.”

Fine line

Wessling was overheating. About 100 yards from the finish, he started losing some brain function; he dropped, tried to get up again and dropped again.

It was determined that his body temperature, at the time, was 104 degrees, just three degrees shy of life-threatening heat stroke and the likelihood of severe brain damage.

He would spend the next two days in the hospital with his family by his side.

“I blame myself for drinking too much water and flushing out my system,” Wessling said. “It happened, I recovered as quickly as I could and I certainly learned from it.”

But the military wasn’t as quick to move on, Wessling explained.

Higher U.S. Amy medical commands requested more information about Wessling’s ordeal because there’s such a fine line between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“If I would have had heat stroke, I would have been done,” he said. “I would not even have gotten the chance to commission – and maybe not get into the military.”

This past fall, Wessling (above center) captained UND’s Ranger Challenge team that captured the title as the best battalion in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota for the first time since 2012. He’s joined in the picture by teammates and UND Army ROTC support staff (back row, left to right): Sgt. 1st Class Jared Glass; Cole Marshall, freshman; John Kavanagh, freshman; Justin Mayer, junior; Joe Gutoske, junior; Tanner Aho, sophomore; Jared Coil, junior; and Lt. Col. Jason Murphy, professor of military science. (Front): Aliza Deming, top senior; Ben Nelson, senior and 8th-ranked cadet in nation; Wessling, senior captain; Nicole Gannucci, sophomore; and (kneeling) Colten Demant, freshman.

Home support

Wessling credits local physicians, such as Dr. Charles Christianson at the UND Family Practice Center, and other local specialists, for helping him fully recover and provide documentation that proved his body temperature never rose to a level that put him at risk for brain disease.

Wessling also thanks the UND ROTC staff for their constant support and “can-do” attitude through it all.

“It was bad – don’t get me wrong,” Wessling said. “I just had a really severe case of heat exhaustion.”

Once cleared to resume ROTC activities, Wessling never looked back.

This past fall, Wessling captained UND’s Ranger Challenge team that captured the title as the best battalion in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota for the first time since 2012.

“That was an amazing experience,” he said.

Duty calls

As important as the military training has been for Wessling, he equally appreciates his time in the classroom. Despite challenges, Wessling’s drive to succeed and assistance from past and present mechanical engineering faculty advisors, such as Peter Letvin, Matthew Cavalli and Jeremiah Neubert, as well as senior student mentors, helped him get through.

Wessling’s hard work in the classroom was rewarded recently when his interdisciplinary team of student engineers took first place out of 90 projects senior engineering design projects. He teamed with Rooney Villegas (mechanical engineer), Justin Nelson (electrical engineering) and Zeinab El-Rewini (computer science) on the project.

“I got the sense here that they don’t just teach engineering,” Wessling said. “They teach leadership, too, and what it is to be a person and a leaders outside of an educational setting.”

Wessling now has his sights set on his first military assignment in July, when he goes to Ft. Sill, Okla., for field artillery officer training. After that, he’ll be sent to Ft. Drum, N.Y., to serve with the 10th Mountain Division.

“I’ve changed for the better since I’ve been here at UND,” he said. “I’m not the perfect soldier or the perfect student but that’s okay, because it’s the mistakes that have helped me grow.”

North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford delivers the annual Frank Wenstrom Lecture last week. He used the occasion as an opportunity to tell his story of public service, one that’s interwoven in business, governance and family legacy. Photo by Connor Murphy/UND Today.

Before arriving at the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center for the annual Frank Wenstrom Lecture, North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford had been across the map and back in a single day.

For him, it’s all too familiar.

“Yesterday I was in Williston, talking about the Main Street Initiative and higher education governance reform,” Sanford told attendees. “Then in the middle of the night I drove to Grand Forks.”

After multiple commission meetings in Grand Forks on last Wednesday morning, he found out the state had won a unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) pilot program award, which meant flying back to Bismarck between engagements. He got back to Grand Forks to meet with Minnkota Power Cooperative that afternoon, then it was on to the Wenstrom Lecture at UND.

“Generally I’ll have a couple of talking points for something like this, but I looked at what this was and knew I didn’t need any,” Sanford said. “This is up my alley. Not only is the lecture coincidentally named for the 28th lieutenant governor (of North Dakota), but focusing on public service — that’s something near and dear to my heart.”

The lecture — put on by the College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA) — serves to highlight contemporary issues in North Dakota politics, governance and public service. Wenstrom served as lieutenant governor under William Guy from 1957 to 1960.

Sanford used the occasion as an opportunity to tell his story of public service, one that’s interwoven in business, governance and family legacy.

Start in business

A native of Watford City, N.D., Sanford said that being a CFO in his late 20s was a great opportunity, but it didn’t feel like enough. He hails from a long line of public servants; his grandfather was mayor of Watford City for 20 years, and his father was president of the city council for eight.

After graduating with an accounting degree from UND in 1994, Sanford started his career as an auditor with Fargo-based Eide Bailly LLP. After that, he was recruited by another UND alum to be the CFO of Transwest Trucks in Brighton, Colo.

“The pastor at church had a series that summer on using your gifts,” he recalled. “I would hang my head and think, ‘I don’t know how in the world I’m going to get into this public service aspect when I’m living in a place like Denver.’ I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t know how to get involved.”

When the opportunity presented itself, in 2004, Sanford and his wife moved back to Watford City and bought the family business. His grandfather opened S&S Motors in 1946, and his father had owned it for 30 years. Sanford says he knew moving back to the then-quiet Watford City would make it possible to do the kind of work that mattered most.

“I was told I wouldn’t get another CFO job if I did it, but we did,” Sanford said. “Nothing was going on in Watford City at the time, but it felt right.”

Shift to service

Sanford was elected to the city council in 2006. From then until 2010, the Bakken shale oil boom started taking shape in Stanley, N.D., to the northeast; it eventually reached Watford City.

He knew then he had to run for mayor. He already was attending all of the statewide meetings that his mayor couldn’t attend. He had a better grasp on the finances of the budget, as well as what needed to be done to keep Watford City afloat in a prosperous, yet trying time. He won the 2010 mayoral race.

While he was told he wouldn’t get another CFO job, he more or less took on a similar role in leading Watford City. His accounting and financial savvy was crucial in an overhaul of his hometown’s public facilities. Watford City needed hundreds of millions to build a new law enforcement center, hospital, high school and an all-purpose events and recreational facility. He also led a nonprofit effort to develop affordable housing and daycare services. Sanford credits a community-wide effort of public servants for paving the way.

Stepping up

Sanford soon caught the attention of future North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, especially the mayor’s ability to command an audience at the state level. Sanford had just sold S&S Motors. Little did he know his life was about to shift entirely into public service.

“He came into my office and sat for two hours, asking me questions about how in the world I did it all,” Sanford said of his first meeting with Burgum. “He wanted to know how I was able to get through to the legislature as a local government.”

Sanford became a believer in Burgum’s nonpartisan spirit to reinventing government. They teamed up take the Republican primary and won the 2016 gubernatorial election with over 75 percent of the vote.

“I love this job, it’s something where it’s a blessing every day,” Sanford said. “You talk to North Dakotans about things they love about their community, their children and the future. It’s very rewarding working with Doug.

Sanford told the UND students in his Wenstrom Lecture audience to embrace a ‘dream big’ mindset.

“You can’t get there if you don’t shoot far,” Sanford said. “The governor and I are from little towns in North Dakota. You can get there. Look at what Burgum’s done with his business career, circling all the way back to public service, from being a little kid in Arthur, N.D. It can happen.”

Paul Sum, professor and chair of UND’s Political Science & Public Administration Department, enjoyed Sanford’s outlook on public service as one that can intersect with the private sector.

“It’s different, because most of the other lecturers we’ve had have been more oriented toward public service from the get-go,” Sum said. “I think it’s positive in the sense of what our College is trying to do, which is embracing the idea of interface between public and private sectors, with nonprofits somewhere in the mix.”

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Tue, 15 May 2018 13:33:50 +0000http://blogs.und.edu/und-today/?p=6719More than 2,000 UND students were eligible to graduate at campus ceremonies last week and this past weekend. Check it out!